A group of Welsh businessmen announced plans to sue the Government for depriving them of their ability to make a living by its decision to shut down the countryside after the first reports of the disease in February.

They accused the authorities of failing to consider the needs of non-agricultural rural businesses in its efforts to save farming.

Ian Mitchell, chairman of the Powys Rural Business Campaign, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We have taken instructions from solicitors concerning issues affecting our members under the Human Rights Act and feel that the Government have discriminated against the businesses run by our members.

"They have deprived them of their ability to use their property and make a living by their handling of the disease.

"They shut down the countryside without any thought of the consequences to the businesses involved deeply with the countryside.

"There is a series of bungles, incompetence and even indifference as far as we are concerned and we feel the whole business could have been dealt with in a far more satisfactory manner, particularly when you think of the consequences affecting the lives of families in Powys, in particular, and the UK as a whole."

In the first three months of the outbreak, many of Mr Mitchell's members lost all of their business, he said.

Even now that there have been no new cases for almost a month, businesses such as riding centres still have next to no business and turnover for others is an average of 50-70% down on normal levels.